Ticket gate system, method for controlling the ticket gate system, and program

Abstract

To provide a ticket checker system, a control method for the ticket checker system, and a program that can increase convenience for users.SOLUTION: A ticket checker system according to the embodiment includes one or more automatic ticket checkers that control the passage of a user trying to exit a station from the station premises to the outside of the station premises. The ticket checker system has an equipment control unit. The equipment control unit controls equipment installed in the automatic ticket checker to prohibit or permit the passage of the user out of the station based on the information read from the ticket presented by the user, and controls a display unit to prompt the user to insert an express ticket if conditions are met, including that the station where the ticket checker system is installed is within an entry area read from the ticket.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a ticket gate system, a control method for the ticket gate system, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In current automatic ticket gates, when a user tries to exit at a station within the area indicated by an area code using a one-way train ticket with the area code within a specific ward or city in the departure station written on it, the determination fails and the user cannot exit. This is because the area code is regarded as one station for determination, and the determination process of the automatic ticket gate is carried out accordingly. For this reason, in the conventional technology, users cannot use facilities outside the station premises of stations within the area code, and there are cases where the convenience is not sufficient.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a ticket gate system, a control method for the ticket gate system, and a program that can enhance the convenience for users.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The ticket gate system of the embodiment has one or more automatic ticket gates that control the passage of users who wish to exit the station premises from within the station premises. The ticket gate system has an equipment control unit. The equipment control unit controls the equipment installed in the automatic ticket gates to prohibit or permit the user from passing outside the station premises based on information read from the ticket presented by the user, and controls the display unit to prompt the user to insert an express ticket if the conditions are met, including the station where the ticket gate system is installed being a station within the entry area read from the ticket. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] A diagram illustrating the configuration of an automatic ticket gate 100 included in the ticket gate system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing an example of the control configuration of an automatic ticket gate according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] A diagram showing the device configuration of the ticket gate system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of the contents of the entry permit table 192. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating an example of the processes performed by the ticket gate system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] The ticket gate system, control method, and program of the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The ticket gate system includes, for example, an automatic ticket gate and a monitoring panel. Note that the ticket gate system may refer only to the automatic ticket gate. An automatic ticket gate is a device installed at a railway station, etc. An automatic ticket gate is a type of station equipment. An automatic ticket gate reads information from a ticket (passenger ticket, etc.) held by a user of a transportation system such as a railway, and controls the opening and closing of the gate doors, etc., based on the result of determining whether the user is allowed to pass through the gate. The ticket includes, for example, at least a piece of paper on which a magnetic code is written (magnetic ticket). The ticket may also be an IC card, a portable terminal device displaying an optically readable pattern (such as a two-dimensional code), or in other forms. The automatic ticket gate in this embodiment is primarily used to control the passage of users from inside the station to outside the station, but it may also control the passage of users in both directions, or it may be possible to switch to a mode that controls the passage of users from outside the station to inside the station by operating a switch or the like.

[0008] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an automatic ticket gate 100 included in a ticket gate system according to an embodiment. The automatic ticket gate 100 comprises a separation unit 102, an alignment unit 104, a magnetic processing unit 106, a punching and printing unit 108, a dispensing and collection unit 110, a display unit 112, and a wireless reader unit 114. The separation unit 102, the alignment unit 104, the magnetic processing unit 106, the punching and printing unit 108, and the dispensing and collection unit 110 each have a transport path equipped with a transport belt for transporting tickets, rollers for driving the transport belt, etc. In the automatic ticket gate 100, tickets inserted into the input slot EN provided in the separation unit 102 are transported along the transport path through the separation unit 102, the alignment unit 104, the magnetic processing unit 106, the punching and printing unit 108, and the dispensing and collection unit 110. The tickets are then dispensed from the discharge slot EX provided in the dispensing and collection unit 110.

[0009] The separation unit 102 separates the tickets when multiple tickets are inserted into the input slot EN simultaneously and transports each ticket one by one to the alignment unit 104. The alignment unit 104 aligns the direction and position of the tickets transported from the separation unit 102 and transports the tickets to the magnetic processing unit 106. The magnetic processing unit 106 performs magnetic processing on the tickets transported from the alignment unit 104. For example, when a user entering the station uses the automatic ticket gate 100, the magnetic processing unit 106 records information such as the entry station and entry time on the ticket. The magnetic processing unit 106 transports the magnetically processed tickets to the punching and printing unit 108. The punching and printing unit 108 punches additional holes in the tickets transported from the magnetic processing unit 106 to indicate that they have passed through the automatic ticket gate 100, and also prints the necessary information on the ticket surface. The punching and printing unit 108 transports the punched and printed tickets to the dispensing and collection unit 110. The ticket dispensing and collection unit 110 dispenses tickets transported from the punching and printing unit 108 through the dispensing slot EX. If multiple tickets, for example two tickets, are inserted into the input slot EN simultaneously, separated by the separation unit 102, and then transported sequentially by the alignment unit 104, magnetic processing unit 106, and punching and printing unit 108, the ticket dispensing and collection unit 110 collects the tickets and then dispenses both tickets simultaneously from the dispensing slot EX.

[0010] The wireless reader unit 114 reads information stored on a medium held over the user's head when they attempt to exit the station, and transmits the read information to the device control unit 150. The medium is, for example, an IC card. The display unit 112 displays the information processed by the device control unit 150. Details of the functions of the device control unit 150 will be described later.

[0011] In this embodiment, the medium used as a ticket only needs to be capable of holding ticket information for the user or the medium itself. This includes magnetic tickets, IC cards, electronic devices such as mobile phones with card emulation capabilities, paper media printed with code images such as QR codes (registered trademark) or barcodes, and RFID tags with wireless communication capabilities. The information contained in the ticket includes ticket identification information, validity information indicating the ticket's validity (e.g., information indicating the usable section and the balance of electronic money), identification information of the entry station, and the time of entry into the entry station. The wireless reader unit 114 communicates with the medium using, for example, a 13.56 [MHz] communication band.

[0012] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the control configuration of an automatic ticket gate 100 according to an embodiment. The automatic ticket gate 100 includes, for example, a main control unit 120, a transport control unit 130 and a magnetic control unit 140, an equipment control unit 150, and a power supply control unit 160. These components are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed when the storage medium is mounted on a drive device.

[0013] The transport control unit 130, under the control unit 120, controls the transport process of tickets from the time a ticket is inserted into the input slot EN until it is released from the discharge slot EX. The transport control unit 130 performs, for example, ticket separation control, ticket alignment control, transport control of the magnetic processing unit 106, transport control during punching and printing (punching and printing control), and transport control during dispensing and collecting (dispensing and collecting control).

[0014] The magnetic control unit 140 controls the operation of the read head 142, write head 144, and verify head 146, as shown in Figure 2. The read head 142 and verify head 146 read the magnetic information recorded on the back of the transported ticket. The write head 144 writes the magnetic information to the front of the transported ticket. The read head 142, write head 144, and verify head 146 are arranged in the transport path in this order, from the input side EN to the output side EX.

[0015] The equipment control unit 150 performs controls related to user passage at the automatic ticket gate 100. More details will be described later. The power supply control unit 160 controls the power supply to the automatic ticket gate 100.

[0016] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the device configuration of a ticket gate system according to an embodiment. The ticket gate system includes an automatic ticket gate 100 and a monitoring panel 200.

[0017] In addition to the configuration shown in Figures 1 and 2, the automatic ticket gate 100 includes a memory unit 190. The memory unit 190 stores an exit permission table 192. Figure 4 shows an example of the contents of the exit permission table 192. The exit permission table 192 is, for example, information that associates stations where exit is permitted for a given area.

[0018] The monitoring console 200 is a device connected to one or more automatic ticket gates 100 to monitor their status. The monitoring console 200 is installed, for example, in the station staff room at each station. The station staff can appropriately check the status of the ticket gate system by looking at the screen of the monitoring console 200. The monitoring console 200 includes a storage unit 202. The storage unit 202 stores an exit permission master 204. The exit permission master 204 stores information similar to the exit permission table 192. The difference between the exit permission table 192 and the exit permission master 204 is the data update frequency. For example, the exit permission table 192 is updated once a week, while the exit permission master 204 is updated once a month. The exit permission master 204 can be downloaded to the automatic ticket gate 100 at any time. Also, it may be configured such that the exit permission master 204 is in the monitoring console 200 and the automatic ticket gate 100 does not have the exit permission table 192, or vice versa. One or both of the exit permission table 192 and the exit permission master 204 are examples of "registration information".

[0019] Hereinafter, the functions of the device control unit 150 will be described in more detail. When the boarding ticket is a magnetic ticket and the user inserts the magnetic ticket into the automatic ticket gate 100, the device control unit 150 controls the passage of the user based on the information of the magnetic ticket read by the magnetic control unit 140. The information of the magnetic ticket records, for example, the entry station or area and the exit station or area (i.e., the boarding section) at the time of purchase, and the entry information (entry station, entry date and time, etc.) written at the entry station. The entry area is an area that allows boarding from any station within the area, and is defined, for example, as "within the Yamanote Line". Although there are also magnetic tickets such as "150 yen section from ○○ Station", the description thereof will be omitted. The device control unit 150 generally permits passage when the current station is within the boarding section and the entry date and time are within the specified range, and prohibits passage otherwise. When within the boarding section, the current station is not included if it is included in the entry station or area.

[0020] When the ticket is an IC card, the device control unit 150 controls the passage of the user based on the information read from the IC card presented to the automatic ticket gate 100 by the wireless reader unit 114. Based on the entry station stored in the IC card, the device control unit 150 obtains from the fare table to the home station and permits passage if the fare can be deducted from the remaining charge balance of the IC card, and prohibits passage if the remaining charge balance is insufficient for the required fare.

[0021] When prohibiting passage, the device control unit 150 closes the door unit 116 and causes the display unit 112 to display content such as a message or warning to the user. Hereinafter, this process is referred to as the exit NG process. At the time of the exit NG process, the automatic ticket gate 100 may notify the user of the exit prohibition by means of sound or light movement.

[0022] Here, as an exceptional process, the device control unit 150 may permit the passage of the user when conditions including that the home station is a station within the entry area are satisfied. The conditions may further include that the home station is registered in the exit permission table 192 or the exit permission master 204.

[0023] When the conditions are not satisfied, the device control unit 150 prohibits passage. On the other hand, when the conditions are satisfied, the device control unit 150 controls the display unit 112 to prompt the user to insert an express ticket. Then, when an express ticket is inserted and the purchase section of the express ticket matches the boarding section of the ticket (the purchase section is equal to or includes the boarding section), the device control unit 150 instructs the magnetic control unit 140 to cancel the entry information written on the ticket and permits the passage of the user. That is, it is treated as if there was no entry.

[0024] This will allow users to exit the station smoothly using the automatic ticket gate 100 when using facilities outside the station. It also eliminates concerns that users may invalidate their tickets by unconditionally allowing them to exit the station. Furthermore, while previously the decision to allow exit to the station was made by station staff, it will no longer be necessary to constantly station staff next to the automatic ticket gate 100, thus promoting the unmanned operation of ticket gates.

[0025] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing performed by the ticket gate system. Here, it is assumed that the ticket initially inserted by the user into the automatic ticket gate 100 is a magnetic ticket that is valid for the day and valid at the station. First, the magnetic control unit 140 reads the encoded information of the ticket (step S100).

[0026] The magnetic control unit 140 determines whether the station from which the train is attempting to exit (determination station) is within the range of the area code (step S102).

[0027] If the station to be determined is within the area code range, the equipment control unit 150 refers to the exit permission master 204 on the monitoring panel 200 (step S104).

[0028] Next, the equipment control unit 150 determines whether or not it is possible to exit the station premises based on the information in the exit permission master 204 (step S106). If it is determined that it is possible to exit the station premises, the magnetic control unit 140 determines whether or not the ticket is an integrated express ticket (step S114).

[0029] In step S102, if it is determined that the station is outside the area code range, the equipment control unit 150 performs the conventional stopover process (step S122). The stopover process involves having the user exit the station premises, collecting their train ticket and express train ticket, and preventing them from re-boarding with the same ticket.

[0030] In step S106, if the station to be determined is not present in the exit permission master 204, the equipment control unit 150 refers to the exit permission table 192 of the automatic ticket gate 100 (step S108). Based on the information in the exit permission table 192, the equipment control unit 150 determines whether or not it is possible to exit the station premises (step S110). If it is determined that it is possible to exit the station premises, the process in step S114 is performed. If the station to be determined is not present in the exit permission table 192, it is not possible to exit the station premises, and the exit NG process is executed (step S112).

[0031] In step S114, if it is determined that the ticket is not an integrated express ticket, the equipment control unit 150 requests the user to insert an additional express ticket (step S116). The equipment control unit 150 controls the content displayed by the display unit 112 to prompt the user to insert the express ticket. Next, the magnetic control unit 140 determines whether or not the express ticket has been inserted into the automatic ticket gate 100 (step S118).

[0032] When a limited express ticket is inserted into the automatic ticket gate 100 (assuming the boarding section and the purchased section match), the equipment control unit 150 performs an exit permission process (step S120). At this time, the equipment control unit 150 cancels the entry information written on the ticket.

[0033] If, during step S114, it is determined that the train ticket is an integrated express ticket, steps S116 to S118 are skipped. In this case, step S120 is executed.

[0034] In this flowchart, the equipment control unit 150 makes a decision by referring to both the exit permission table 192 and the exit permission master 204 to determine whether or not it is a station where exit is permitted. However, the order in which they are referred to may be changed, or only one of them may be referred to.

[0035] According to at least one embodiment described above, a ticket gate system including one or more automatic ticket gates that controls the passage of users attempting to exit a station premises from within the station premises can be made more convenient for users by having a device control unit that controls the equipment installed in the automatic ticket gates to prohibit or permit the user from exiting the station premises based on information read from the ticket presented by the user, and when conditions are met, including the station where the ticket gate system is installed being a station within the entry area read from the ticket, the device control unit that controls the display unit to prompt the user to insert an express ticket.

[0036] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 100...Automatic ticket gate, 102...Separation unit, 104...Alignment unit, 106...Magnetic processing unit, 108...Punch / printing unit, 110...Discharge / collection unit, 112...Display unit, 114...Wireless reader unit, 116...Door unit, EN...Input slot, EX...Discharge slot, 120...Main control unit, 130...Transport control unit, 140...Magnetic control unit, 142...Reading head, 144...Writing head, 146...Verify head, 150...Equipment control unit, 160...Power supply control unit, 190...Storage unit, 192...Exit permission table, 200...Monitoring panel, 202...Storage unit, 204...Exit permission master

Claims

1. A ticket gate system including one or more automatic ticket gates that controls the passage of users who are trying to exit the station premises from inside the station premises, Based on the information read from the ticket presented by the user, the device installed in the automatic ticket gate is controlled to prohibit or permit the user from leaving the station premises. The system includes a device control unit that controls the display unit to prompt the user to insert a limited express ticket when the station where the aforementioned ticket gate system is installed is within the entry area read from the aforementioned ticket, provided that the conditions are met. Ticket gate system.

2. The system further comprises a memory unit that stores registration information of stations where exit from the aforementioned automatic ticket gate is permitted, The aforementioned condition further includes that the station where the ticket gate system is installed is registered in the registration information. The equipment control unit prompts the user to insert the limited express ticket when the conditions are met, including the station where the ticket gate system is installed being a station within the entry area read from the ticket and being registered in the registration information. The ticket gate system according to claim 1.

3. If the control unit determines that the boarding section read from the ticket matches the purchased section information read from the express ticket, it cancels the entry information written on the ticket and permits the user to exit the station premises. The ticket gate system according to claim 1.

4. If the ticket inserted by the user upon exiting is a ticket with an express train ticket, and if the conditions are met, including the station where the ticket gate system is installed being within the entry area read from the ticket, the system will cancel the entry information written on the ticket without requiring the user to insert the express train ticket, and will permit the user to exit the station premises. The ticket gate system according to claim 1.

5. The ticket gate system Based on the information read from the ticket, when the user inserts the ticket, it is determined whether passage is permitted. If the station the user wishes to exit to is within the entry area based on the information read from the ticket, the user will be prompted to insert their limited express ticket. A method for controlling the ticket gate system.

6. One or more processors in the ticket gate system Based on the information read from the ticket, when the user inserts the ticket, the system determines whether passage is permitted. If the station the user wishes to exit to is within the entry area based on the information read from the ticket, the user will be prompted to insert their express ticket. A program for that purpose.

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